MJF Images Fine Art landscape, nature and travel images from the American West and around the world.

Archive for the ‘ponderosa pine’ Tag

The granite mountains of Sierra de San Pedro Martir National Park in Baja California Norte, Mexico catch the low sunlight of a December afternoon.

I have visited this out-of-the-way park on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula before. I had my telescope then, and the night sky of Baja was what drew me up to this 2500-meter high park of granite mountains and meadows. It’s a forested and beautiful place that sits high up on the mountainous spine of the northern Baja Peninsula.

This is also the site of Mexico’s National astronomical observatory. There are two large telescopes sitting up on the high granite ridge. The meadows below this ridge are a fantastic place to stargaze and do some telescope observing or astrophotography. That is, if you are an astro-nerd like I am.

A beautiful morning dawns in Parque Nacional Sierra de San Pedro San Martir, in Baja California Norte, Mexico.

The park is located 50 miles or so up a side road from Mexico Highway 1, which runs down the long Baja California Peninsula. The turnoff is about two hours south of Ensenada, which is itself about an hour south of the border at Tijuana. The road is a good one, but watch out for the dips (where arroyos send floodwaters across during infrequent rains). If you are traveling south toward the beaches of southern Baja, it is a nice side-trip.

A big ponderosa pine pierces the blue skies above Sierra de San Pedro Martir National Park in Baja California, Mexico.

The delightful, open forest is largely ponderosa pine, and the mountains are made up of a very pretty white granite, speckled with black crystals like salt and pepper. The granite makes for superb scrambling, and the meadows and open forest are perfect for hiking and/or mountain biking. Perhaps the best part is that it’s not a very popular park. When I visited for the first time, in 2003, there were no facilities, no gate, no rangers. I simply drove out into the meadows along sandy tracks and camped.

Climbing the rugged granite peaks of Sierra de San Pedro Martir National Park in Baja California Norte, Mexico.

When I visited this time, however, I came on an official entrance, with a building housing your typical friendly, mellow and bored Mexican park rangers. It cost actual money to enter now, but only 54 pesos (about $4) per day. This covers camping at the nearby official campsite. It is no longer okay to pull off and camp anywhere in the park. There is also a museum, a newish and beautiful building. Official trails exist, and there are picnic areas scattered about in the pines.

A ponderosa pine cone has fallen in the forest, in Baja Mexico.

The astronomical observatory is undoubtedly the main reason the road is paved and in good condition. It’s possible to arrange a visit, by day of course. The development of the park over the past several years probably means they were having issues with people just showing up at the observatory at night, headlights blazing. Also, dispersed camping is a serious fire hazard, because many people cannot seem to be responsible with campfires. The telescopes could easily burn down in a big forest fire.

Signs urge visitors to care for the plants and animals of the park (“cuidada la flora y fauna”). But there are cattle grazing in this national park, so how serious can they be? Some areas have been hit pretty hard by the stock. If you’re lucky, you might see deer or bighorn sheep here; maybe even a mountain lion (puma).

As I mentioned, scrambles are fun and challenging. I took a hike one afternoon and spied a granite peak that looked to be easy to get to. But when I tried to hike there, things got difficult in a hurry. It was challenging finding a route to the summit amongst enormous granite boulders. I had to squirm through cavities and caves, friction-hike up granite slabs, and use some climbing moves to finally make it. And though the view was expansive, the sun was dropping rapidly. I made it back to the track I had been following just at dark – cutting it close yet again! The nights grow very cold up here, so you don’t want to spend the night in the open.

Reddish madrone and granite make a pleasant color combination on a climb in Sierra de San Pedro Martir National Park, Baja Norte, Mexico.

This is a gorgeous park that is a world away from dusty and busy Ensenada. If you’re a stargazer, and have a small telescope (which you should bring if you drive to Baja), it is the perfect place for peering into the heavens. For those from northern latitudes, this is a good chance to see more southerly deep space objects. It’s easy to spend 2-3 nights here, hiking or biking the trails by day and camping under the stars. So as a Baja side-trip, Sierra de San Pedro Martir is definitely worth considering.

One last look back at the surprisingly difficult granite peak I climbed in Baja Mexico’s Sierra de San Pedro Martir National Park.

A photo & travel blog with a difference: Instead of strict focus on photo how-to, gear and the like, I'll pass on knowledge about the places and cultures photographed. I believe the more deeply you come to know a place, the better your pictures will be.

My past careers as science teacher and geologist mean that I can't help but teach about the natural history of photogenic places around the world. But photography is not forgotten. You'll also see practical tips about where and how to photograph the destinations. And once a week, Friday Foto Talk gives photography tips and how-to on a selected topic, for novices on up to expert.

What you won't find here is endless discussion about me braving dangerous weather, terrain or wild animals to get the shot. Nor will there be cheerleading gear talk or marketing pitches. I promise to leave that to other blogs, of which there are many.

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